What unit is commonly used to measure refrigeration units?

The commonly used unit to measure refrigeration units is BTUs, or British Thermal Units. A BTU is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. In refrigeration applications, BTUs quantify the cooling capacity of a system, making it an intuitive choice for expressing how much heat a refrigeration unit can remove from a space per hour.

This unit is particularly useful in the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) industry because it allows technicians and engineers to easily compare the cooling power of different refrigeration systems. While watts and kilowatts, which measure electrical power, can also be used in relation to cooling efficiency, they are not as directly tied to the thermodynamic processes at play in refrigeration. Joules, although a unit of energy and heat like BTUs, are less commonly used in the context of refrigeration specifically. Hence, BTUs are the standard and most relevant measurement for understanding and communicating the cooling capacity of refrigeration units.